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Interactive Solutions for Adventure BrandsFri, 24 Jul 2015 22:37:19 +0000en-UShourly1FindingSubstancehttps://feedburner.google.comThe Substance Field Guide to ESTO Portland 2015http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/West6hPkDTA/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/07/substance-field-guide-esto-portland-2015/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 19:22:32 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10817We are incredibly excited that Portland has been selected to host the U.S. Travel Association's ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) conference this year, from August 23-25. With a number of Substance clients coming to town as well as friends from a number of Destination Marketing Organizations from across the country, we've put together some of our favorite places to eat, drink, and go when you're in town. Continue Reading…

We are incredibly excited that Portland has been selected to host the U.S. Travel Association’s ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) conference this year, from August 23rd to 25th. With a number of Substance clients coming to town, as well as friends from a number of Destination Marketing Organizations from across the country, we’ve put together some of our favorite places to eat, drink, and go when you’re in Portland. We’ve tried to focus the list to places that are easy to get to (meaning walkable) from downtown, but there are so many places you should try that we’ve included some that are a bit farther afield. Really, you could skip all the ESTO sessions and you’d still not be able to experience all these places… so be responsible to the sessions part of ESTO and supplement your education with selections from our list.

If you don’t see what you need from the info below, leave a comment or email us at ESTO@findsubstance.com and we’ll help you out. Also, Stephen Landau (Substance Creative Director – that’s me!), will be attending ESTO, and would love to meet you in person. You can get in touch with Stephen via Twitter or LinkedIn.

Famously known for our #pdxcarpet, there are still a few bits and pieces of the original carpet around the airport. Make sure to take your #pdxcarpet photo before you leave as the old carpet might be gone by the time you return to the airport. From the airport, you can take the TriMet MAX Red Line and get off downtown at Pioneer Square – you’ll be walking distance from the Hilton and it will only cost you a couple dollars. Alternatively, you can take a cab, and Portland now has Uber and Lyft so you can use those services (you should verify that Uber/Lyft can pick you up at the airport before arriving, just to be safe).

Some basic city geography… Portland is divided into 5 quadrants (yes, we know), created by Burnside Street (a major roadway running east/west) and Vancouver/Williams (roads going north/south), though the Willamette (pronounced “will-AM-et” or “it’s the Willamette, dammit”) River that runs through the middle of the city is a good way to visualize the east/west divide. This results in Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Northwest (NW), Southwest (SW), and North (N). When Portlanders describe where they’re going, they’ll usually start by indicating which quadrant, or sometimes call out the specific neighborhood. For example, PDX Airport is in NE Portland, and the Hilton is in SW Portland. You know you’re getting close to the Willamette because the streets that run north/south are (for the most part) numbered, starting from one and going up from there. The quadrant is added to the beginning of street names to help from a directional standpoint (NE 21st Avenue runs north/south and is about 21 blocks east of the Willamette and north of Burnside; SW Stark runs east/west and is in SW Portland). This quadrant map is from Neighborhood Notes.

●City-Wide Stuff●Close to Substance Stuff●Important Landmarks

Starting Your Day

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That makes coffee and doughnuts the most important beverages and treats of the day.

Coffee

Nothing kickstarts the day like some of our fantastic hometown micro-roasted coffee. Skip the Starbucks and get some local brew from Stumptown Coffee (downtown locations on SW 3rd and SW Stark). Go even more micro-roasted with Courier Coffee or a little farther for Sterling Coffee (their closest location would be at Coffeehouse Northwest on 1951 W. Burnside). If your coffee tastes run more towards the Italian-roasting spectrum, grab an espresso from Spella Caffe. You should also head to the east side of the river for some micro-roasted brews… Coava is good, as is Heart (more on Heart in the “Close to Substance” section below). PHOTO:Buy a bag of Sterling Coffee and take a taste of Portland home.

Doughnuts (and biscuits)

What goes better with coffee than doughnuts? Exactly. While everyone who hears you’re coming to Portland will tell you to go to Voodoo Doughnuts, if you’re looking for less well known but even more delicious, check out doughnuts for grown ups at Blue Star Donuts (at 1237 SW Washington), or get over to Pip’s Original Doughnuts (apparently they’ll even give you some for free if it’s your birthday). PHOTO:Voodoo Doughnuts led the doughnut renaissance in Porltand, though there are plenty of other doughnut shops you should check out if you want to avoid the Voodoo lines.

If you’re craving a huge breakfast and have nothing else to do but lounge around for the rest of the day, go to one of the Pine State Biscuits locations and order the Reggie Deluxe (fried chicken, bacon, cheese, a fried egg, and gravy on a biscuit). You’ll probably love us (because it’s so good) and hate us (because there’s no way you’re doing anything for a couple hours with that full stomach) after you’ve eaten it.

PHOTO:Late night at Pine State Biscuits on SE Division.

Let’s Eat

You’ve heard right, Portland is a serious foodie town. There are so many amazing places to eat in this city that there is no way we can include all of them. Here are some of our favorites that are going to be more convenient for those staying downtown, and for the more adventurous types we’ve included some that you’ll need to figure out how to get to them (walk, run, bike, car rental, Zipcar/Car2Go, public transportation, taxis, and Uber/Lyft are all options).

Stuff Between Two Pieces of Bread: Sandwiches

Portlanders have several foods they like to put between pieces of bread and eat, and some of the specialties are sandwiches and burgers. For a quality sandwich, make your way to Bunk Sandwiches (they have a downtown location, or head to the east side of the Willamette for their original location or go to Bunk Bar to hear some live music with your ‘wich). There’s also Meat Cheese Bread, and if you like meat the Park Kitchen (flank steak, pickled onions, blue cheese mayo) is highly recommended.

Stuff Between Two Pieces of Bread: Burgers

You might consider buns different from bread, but c’mon, they’re essentially the same thing. So if you’d rather go for a burger than a sandwich – and we love burgers – local chain Little Big Burger has multiple locations around town (make sure to get the truffle fries). If you think a peanut butter and pickle burger sounds like an interesting idea, go to Killer Burger (another local chain with multiple locations). Relative burger newcomer All-Way would be another great option downtown. If you’re going to be close to Substance, Club 21 makes a great build-your-own burger. A number of other places mentioned in this post also have great burgers (really a subject for a separate blog post) so if you love burgers, you’ll find plenty in Portland.

Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, etc.

While Portland isn’t really known for its Chinese food, there’s plenty of other Asian foods that are fantastic. Enjoy ramen? Go to Boke Bowl and make sure to add the fried pears and rice tots to your order. Luc Lac is delicious Vietnamese food in close proximity to the Hilton. And if you’re a fan of the TV show “Chopped,” you should go to Nong’s Khao Man Gai (there’s a food cart location downtown, and a bit more in the restaurant location on the east side). And if you haven’t heard of Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok and their thai street food and fish sauce wings by now, your taste buds won’t be able to forget them once they’ve had it. If you’re looking for Asian food served from a food cart, we recommend Umai ramen.

Pacific Northwest-y and Other Made-Local Cuisines

Tasty n Alder and Tasty n Sons are the siblings of Toro Bravo; all three are a Pacific Northwest take on the steakhouse, “American” cuisine, and Spanish-inspired tapas, respectively. Gabe Rucker’s LePigeon is always highly rated and a Portland favorite, but if you’re looking for something a bit more casual, try sister restaurant Little Bird Bistro. If you’d like to experience Russian food with vodka pairings and a Portland attitude, Kachka is your place. Across the river and more towards Central Europe in vibe, Grüner has “cozy alpine cuisine” and one of the best burgers we’ve ever had (served at lunch, or at the bar at dinner). Just down the street (with another location on the east side) is Lardo, a great place for swine and bovine. If you want to sample the food of the “new west,” check out The American Local (this place is located in one of the fastest growing and hottest food neighborhoods in Portland and there are tons of other options around here). But what if you’re looking for a speakeasy that’s part submarine, part Mediterranean cantina? Pépé le Moko claims to fit that bill.

If you’re going to go to only one food cart pod when you’re in Portland, Tidbit has tons of options and a beer garden. There are also food carts all over downtown, and with stiff food cart competition, most of them are very good.

PHOTO:This is the Bronx Bomber from Lardo – shaved steak, provolone, salami, hot peppers, and mayo. You’d be wise to get an order of the dirty fries as well.

Pizza Pizza

For lovers of thin crust, wood-fired pizza, you’ll have plenty of options. Perennial top-of-lister Apizza Scholls makes pizza until they run out of dough (and you will probably have to wait a while for a table). Also excellent is Ken’s Artisan Pizza, which some would put it above Apizza Scholls, but if you’re going to do that, be ready for a long debate on par with discussing religion or politics. If you’d rather skip the long waits at Apizza Scholls and Ken’s (though worth it), Pyro Pizza has two food cart locations and top notch ‘za, with the wood-fired oven somehow crammed inside the cart. And if you want to check out one of Portland’s “hot” neighborhoods, make your way over to Life of Pie on N. Williams (there’s plenty of other good stuff over that way as well – check it out on the map). PHOTO:If you thought you couldn’t get an amazing wood-fired pizza from a food cart, Pyro Pizza will prove you wrong.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Salt & Straw started Portland’s handmade, small-batch ice cream revolution in 2011. They have 3 locations scattered around the city and feature flavors like “Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero” and “Roasted Strawberry & Toasted White Chocolate” alongside more “traditional” flavors. If you can’t make it to Salt & Straw, Ruby Jewel is an excellent alternative with a downtown location.

Beer, Glorious Beer (and maybe a Cocktail)

It’s a head-to-head battle on what beverage is most associated with Portland: coffee or beer. But why fight when you can enjoy both? We’ve discussed coffee above, so now let’s talk beer. There are SO MANY microbreweries you can visit when you come to Oregon… the Oregon Brewers Guild says there are 194 brewing companies in Oregon, with 61 of these just in Portland. It’s a bit overwhelming. You can experience four top Oregon breweries by heading over to the Pearl District where you can visit BridgePort Brewpub, Rogue Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, and 10 Barrel Brewing, all within a few blocks of one another. If you’re looking for a finely curated taplist of beers from both within and outside the state (apparently other states make beer!), the Green Dragon can take you to beer school.

Beers and bikes go hand-in-hand in Portland, and there’s probably no better representation of this than Hopworks BikeBar (this is a great location to combine with a trip to Life of Pie and Tasty n Sons). If you’re more into cocktails than beer, InterUrban on N. Mississippi provides what some might consider a more “authentic” Portland environment than downtown (there’s also a Little Big Burger and Ruby Jewel located nearby).

Exercise, Attractions, and the Great Outdoors

If you’ve gone to even a handful of the places to eat and drink mentioned above, you’re going to need to work off some of those calories. Even if there’s a treadmill in the hotel gym, DON’T USE IT. There are so many great runs downtown and you’ll have the opportunity to see the city from a different perspective. One of our favorites is the Eastbank Esplanade Loop (as shown via our work on the Ride Oregon site) which is about a 3 mile loop along Portland’s waterfront, crossing two of the bridges over the Willamette. If you’d rather see the forest for the trees, get up to Forest Park, the largest urban forest in the United States. There are tons of trails to hike or run there. PHOTO:Run along the Eastbank Esplanade as you do a loop around the Willamette.

Is yoga your thing? There are a bajillion yoga studios in Portland. If you had to pick one, Yoga Pearl offers a variety of styles and classes.

Reading is like exercise for your brain, and no visit to Portland is complete without stopping by Powell’s City of Books, a bookstore that takes up a full city block and is one of the largest independent bookstores in the world.

Visiting Substance and Our Neighborhood

As if we haven’t provided you with a huge list of potential places to go, one highlight that you’ll be able to experience only in Portland is Substance World Headquarters. Nestled in close-in Northeast Portland, our neighborhood has so much to offer for visiting dignitaries, officials, and people who love to talk about adventure brands. Substance HQ is chock full of incredibly smart people who work with travel and tourism DMOs and CVBs across the country like Travel Oregon, Visit Buffalo Niagara, Visit Santa Barbara, and Washington County Visitors Association (among others). If you’d like to come and visit, sample the Oregon beers we have on tap, and play a game a pool, drop us a line at ESTO@findsubstance.com, call us at 503-445-0482, or just stop by 605 NE 21st Avenue (maybe warn us ahead of time that you’re coming over).

PHOTO:Though Club 21 has a sign that says “Steaks For Your Enjoyment,” they don’t have steaks. Their build-your-own burgers, however, are top notch.

When you come to visit Substance World HQ, there’s plenty to do around our office as well. Across the street is Club 21, an excellent way to experience the epitome of Portland dive bars (they also have an excellent build-your-own burger and a nice outdoor patio). Our two favorite breweries in the neighborhood are Migration Brewing and newcomer Culmination Brewing (only 2 blocks from the office). You can get your Voodoo nearby, and if you like pie, Pie Spot is your kind of place. You should probably go to Tails & Trotters first so you can fill up on pork before sweets. Our local coffee shops are Heart and Seven Virtues Coffee, and if you dig motorcycles AND coffee, stop in See See Motor Coffee Co.

If you’ve spent enough time getting coffee and beer and are still in the neighborhood around dinnertime, Navarre serves up Italian, French, and Spanish-inspired dishes, and Stammtisch is probably the easiest way to get to Germany while on the West Coast, except maybe the direct flights from PDX (the burger on the pretzel bun is recommended, as well as the ability to order beer by the liter).

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/07/substance-field-guide-esto-portland-2015/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/07/substance-field-guide-esto-portland-2015/The Responsibility of Working in the Travel & Tourism Industryhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/rCIkwxDH2e0/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/05/the-responsibility-of-working-in-the-travel-tourism-industry/#commentsWed, 20 May 2015 00:16:46 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10589With travel being one of the greatest adventures we can experience, much of our work with Adventure Brands is in the travel and tourism industry. Travel and tourism is a huge generator of jobs and revenue in the United States – in 2014, $927.9 billion was spent directly by domestic and international travelers, and travel supports 8 million direct tourism jobs and 7 million indirect and induced jobs. When these numbers are distributed to Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) across the U.S., the responsibilities that interactive, advertising, and marketing agencies have to these communities are huge. Continue Reading…

In 2014, $927.9 billion was spent directly by domestic and international travelers, generating $141.5 billion in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments. Travel supports 15 million jobs in the U.S. — 8 million direct tourism jobs and 7 million indirect and induced jobs.

With travel being one of the greatest adventures we can experience, much of our work with Adventure Brands is in the travel and tourism industry. And judging from the numbers above, travel and tourism is a huge generator of jobs and revenue in the United States. When these numbers are distributed to Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) across the U.S. – in Oregon alone, visitors generated $10.3 billion in revenue and employed over 100,000 people in 2014 – the responsibilities that interactive, advertising, and marketing agencies have to these communities are huge.

So what do I mean by responsibility? As the interactive agency for Travel Oregon, through our work on TravelOregon.com, RideOregonRide.com, and Industry.TravelOregon.com, we’re directly responsible for helping attract the 26.8 million overnight visitors to the state in 2014. These millions of overnight visitors, plus the millions of visitors who come for the day or live in the state, use TravelOregon.com and RideOregonRide.com to get inspired and plan their trip. On the flip side, we’re responsible for creating a platform to communicate everything going on in Oregon tourism to the 100,000+ people employed in the industry via the Travel Oregon Industry site.

For those agencies working with clients in the travel and tourism industry, the responsibility is real: our failure to inspire people to travel and plan their trip can result in people losing their jobs, businesses closing, and communities losing their cause.

A Responsibility to Communities

This responsibility is personalized through examples like Oakridge, Oregon. In 2009 – 2010, Oakridge participated in Oregon’s Rural Tourism Studio. This participation, along with a lot of hard work, perseverance, and partnerships, has transformed a struggling timber town into the “Mountain Biking Capital of the Northwest.”

It’s a pretty amazing story of what they’ve done. Through highlighting Oakridge as a top mountain biking destination on Ride Oregon, to featuring trip ideas on Travel Oregon, to featuring Oakridge as a community success story on the Travel Oregon Industry site, Travel Oregon is helping promote tourism in that area. And it’s our responsibility to imagine, create, and build the platforms and methods for sharing these stories, resources, inspiration, and information about the place.

A Responsibility to Businesses and Employees

A few of us recently had the opportunity to go to Santa Barbara and experience a little ocean paddle with Cara, one of the guides with Santa Barbara Adventure Company. Attracting people to Santa Barbara and inspiring them to have a unique experience while there helps Santa Barbara Adventure Co. thrive, and gives Cara a job opportunity doing something she enjoys.

A Responsibility to Travelers

Traveler. Visitor. Tourist. Whatever you call them, without this person there is no travel and tourism industry. This means that for Substance to be the best partner for our clients, we have a responsibility to the people who will be visiting their destination, especially when the internet is one of the first places a visitor goes when researching and planning a trip. These responsibilities include, but aren’t limited to:

Creating a effective user experience and information architecture so visitors can find what they’re looking for

Designing an appropriate brand experience that creates a sense of place for a destination to accurately represent this to a visitor

Developing content platforms for our clients to share content that will inspire travelers

For National Travel and Tourism Week (May 2-10, 2015), we posted a series of travel-related quotes on our Instagram account. These demonstrate that our responsibility goes beyond creating a great website. We have a responsibility to inspire people to travel and experience their world from a different perspective.

If “to travel is to live,” we’re responsible for helping people truly live. Now that’s responsibility.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/05/the-responsibility-of-working-in-the-travel-tourism-industry/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/05/the-responsibility-of-working-in-the-travel-tourism-industry/Destinations Are More Than Lists of Resourceshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/W-0hNpHM__o/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/04/destinations-are-more-than-lists-of-resources/#commentsTue, 21 Apr 2015 20:36:20 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10452Experiences are created through interactions with a destination, not through a listing page that shows every restaurant. Stories are written and memories are created from the experiences people have, not from pages of search results. So what role must DMOs play in order to be more than simply lists of resources? Continue Reading…

Experiences are created through interactions with a destination, not through a listing page that shows every restaurant. Stories are written and memories are created from the experiences people have, not from pages of search results.

We travel for work since much of our work has to do with travel. Sometimes these trips are around the corner or across the river, sometimes these trips are hours away by plane, crossing mountain ranges and thousands of miles. Most of these trips involve research, not only for what makes our clients’ destinations special and unique, but in researching the things we should do and see, the places we should eat, the local coffee and brewery scene, where we should stay… Personally, I research potential running routes to get both a bit of exercise and the opportunity to see a destination in a different way than you can from behind a windshield.

With the proliferation of sites and apps like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Orbitz, it’s never been easier to find a comprehensive list of restaurants, lodging, and attractions in an area, rated and reviewed by visitors. Even in member-driven destination marketing organizations (DMOs), the role of the DMO has changed significantly to needing to be more than a list of places to eat, drink, see, and stay. So what should the DMO’s role be in the tourism industry?

Relevance = Answering Visitor Needs

Think of what people are searching for when researching your destination…

“Best places to eat in _________.”
“2 days in _________.”
“Fun things to do in _________.”
“Where should I stay in _________ with kids?”
“_________ running trails.” (Or am I the only one who does this search?)

Is your site answering what people are searching for? Qualifiers – best, fun, number of days, with kids, running – add relevance to the visitor stories your site should be answering. There are plenty of places for people to find “places to eat” and “places to stay” online. And while many DMOs have an obligation to showcase their members, the visitor doesn’t know or care about this obligation; they simply want a manageable, curated list of the best your destination has to offer. Don’t let organizational politics create a poor visitor experience for your site. This is where DMOs must balance content relevance with visitor needs AND organizational requirements. No one resource lives alone in the overall travel experience, just as every resource may not meet all visitors’ needs. Create stories that target the subjects that travelers are searching for and highlight the best resources in your destination to answer those specific queries.

Creating Context = Editorial Perspective

What DMOs can offer over review sites and OTAs is the creation of context. Contextualizing resources like attractions, restaurants, and hotels in comprehensive trip idea stories is the editorial perspective that DMOs can apply to their destination. Long lists of results with little hierarchy lack a point of view on a selection of resources which meet specific visitor stories – the point of view is one of the primary ways DMOs can differentiate themselves from all the other online resources available. Where other online resources offer an firehose of information, DMOs create context to these data points – the emotional hooks on why people should care.

These are just two of the ways that DMOs can add value, and their websites play a crucial role in creating context and relevance. Through our Discovery Process with DMOs, we help determine the the path for their website based on business objectives, content strategy, user experience, visual design, functionality, and content management needs. You can see some of the results for clients like Travel Oregon, Visit Buffalo Niagara, and National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/04/destinations-are-more-than-lists-of-resources/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/04/destinations-are-more-than-lists-of-resources/Establishing Brand Loyalty in an Increasingly Brand Disloyal Worldhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/B3cLJ0I8iy8/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/02/establishing-brand-loyalty-increasingly-brand-disloyal-society/#commentsTue, 24 Feb 2015 00:16:52 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=9922"Only twenty-five percent of American respondents in a recent Ernst & Young study said that brand loyalty affected how they shopped. For established brands, this is a nightmare. You can never coast on past performance ... and the price premium that a recognized brand can charge has shrunk." – James Surowiecki, from "Twilight of the Brands" in the New Yorker Continue Reading…

Only twenty-five percent of American respondents in a recent Ernst & Young study said that brand loyalty affected how they shopped.
For established brands, this is a nightmare. You can never coast on past performance … and the price premium that a recognized brand can charge has shrunk.

If brand loyalty is created by what a brand stands for, here’s your opportunity to share your point of view with likeminded people who want to purchase a product, visit a destination, or have an experience. Instead of thinking about the 75% of American respondents who say brand loyalty doesn’t play a role in their purchasing decisions as an overwhelming challenge, we see it as the perfect time to connect what your brand is doing from a product standpoint with the content you’re producing from a brand perspective.

Brand affinity isn’t just created through the success of a product. Brands can create differentiation through a content strategy that sells the experience, not simply the product (we explored this in detail in our Outdoor Retailer Winter 2015 presentation). eConsultancy has some good insights and examples of branded video, but of course content strategy isn’t just about video – it’s all the content: stories through words, photos, and video, the way products are described (J. Peterman?), the interactions on social media and through relationship management, even down to the way the price of sale items are displayed.

For our clients in the travel/tourism space, ultimately the brand of a place is created by the experiences people have there. And in many of the situations with visitor and convention bureaus, they have little to no control over the actual experience since they are marketing organizations, not the actual hotels, restaurants, and attractions that people are visiting. So how can a CVB or DMO create brand affinity when they don’t control the in-person, on-location experience? By focusing on content and context to highlight the experiences that define their brand. Content strategy in tourism is what inspires potential travelers, sets expectations for their visit, and provides context on the great stuff to do in an area which support a tourism board’s brand objectives.

From the quote above, if brands can’t “coast on past performance,” they need to focus on setting brand expectations by communicating experiences people will have in the future. Brands fail when either the expectations are too low, or the expectations don’t match the realities. In travel and tourism, setting expectations is a way for a brand to share an experience people want to have in reality. Creating a price premium (and in the case of tourism, spending discretionary funds on travel) and moving people from thinking about travel to actually taking the trip is based on the brand. What travelers can do is important; sharing a point of view for why travelers should care creates people loyal to a valuable brand.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/02/establishing-brand-loyalty-increasingly-brand-disloyal-society/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/02/establishing-brand-loyalty-increasingly-brand-disloyal-society/Stories that Sell: Content Strategy for Adventure Brands – The Presentationhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/DHhvVTFGjWc/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands-presentation/#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 03:42:55 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10168This presentation was originally given on January 23, 2015, in front of an audience of about 140 attendees at Outdoor Retailer, as part of the Outdoor Retailer Education Sessions. The presentation format and flow have been modified slightly to better fit our site vs. the presentation slide + speaking format at Outdoor Retailer. Continue Reading…

]]>This presentation was originally given on January 23, 2015, in front of an audience of about 140 attendees at Outdoor Retailer, as part of the Outdoor Retailer Education Sessions. The presentation format and flow have been modified slightly to better fit our site vs. the presentation slide + speaking format at Outdoor Retailer. Once video is online from the presentation, we will link to it from this post.

What makes adventure brands different?

The travel and tourism industry sells experiences (not products).

In the travel and tourism industry, adventure brands are the destinations, hotels, and attractions that are selling experiences. It’s the difference between National Geographic Lodges highlighting the experiences you’ll have at Nimmio Bay Lodge in British Columbia, and Orbitz giving you a list of hotels. In the hotel industry, of course the property plays a role in choosing where to stay, but the ability to communicate experiences over amenities is what elevates a property to an adventure brand (or some might call it an “experience” brand). For destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and Visitors and Convention Bureaus (CVBs), the adventure brands are those that are highlighting editorially-curated itineraries and stories over long lists of uncontextualized restaurants and attractions.

Adventure brands in the outdoor industry sell products through experiences.

Adventure brands in the outdoor industry are aspirational brands. While we, as individuals, may not go on all of the extreme adventures that they present, we share in the emotion of overcoming challenges. Through these stories, brands create a point of view that like-minded consumers can associate with and share. Brand affinity is created when the people who purchase and wear the brand feel like part of a likeminded tribe.

So in what ways should adventure brands think about how this relates to content strategy?

Inspiration+Information

Inspiration and Information are the two parts, that when combined, represent the best of what adventure brands stand for. The inspiration gives the reason why you should care and why this is different. Information provides the call to action on how to buy, where to stay, how to get here, etc. Inspiration without information can inspire people, but doesn’t reward the relationship with a clear path on how to go on this adventure or purchase the products used in the experience. Information without inspiration gives the product features, benefits, and specs, but not the emotional reason why you would love this product/hotel/attraction/destination/etc. That sweet spot where they overlap provides both the emotional and the analytical, the dream and how to make the dream a reality.

Content & Context

Creating content isn’t easy. It requires dedication, thought, creativity, and consistency. Content creation is one of the most time consuming aspects of any interactive project. Determining what kind of content to create requires having a point of view: what is your unique perspective, tone of voice, and storytelling opportunity? But creating content is just one part of the equation; the second is creating context around this content. What stories share similar themes? How can content be presented to explain the reason “why” it exists in relation to the brand? In travel, creating something like an itinerary creates context around grouping a number of potentially unrelated items – the five breweries, two restaurants, hotel, and nearby attraction are all grouped together in the context of a great way to spend a couple days in Bend, Oregon. Sometimes individual pieces of content can span context – in our example, Mt. Bachelor could be part of a story about a multi-day brewery tour in Bend as well as part of a story on Oregon’s best skiing.

Interaction is Brand

The interactions people have with your website are a direct reflection of your company’s brand (we’ve written about this before). A good user experience and design results in a positive brand experience. Navigation that’s hard to use, search results that aren’t appropriate, and broken links all result in people thinking poorly of a brand. This goes for responsive design as well – the brand experience carries across all screen sizes and devices, both design and functionality. Navigation that works by hovering over it with your mouse on a desktop doesn’t work the same on a touch device.

Inspiration+Information. Content & Context. Interaction is Brand. These factor into some examples of what some adventure brands are doing online from a content strategy perspective…

Patagonia is a great outdoor brand – they have a strong sustainability message and are one of the original innovators in the industry. And they have some great content on their site, like this story about the Fitz Traverse (shown above). Following the journey of Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold, it has rich media (though I couldn’t get the video to play on the Fitz Traverse page), and some cool background video elements and animations.

One of the best things on this page is down near the bottom: the list of equipment used by Tommy Caldwell on this series of climbs. When we’re thinking about Inspiration+Information, this is the call-to-action from the story: purchase the products that are great enough to make it through this adventure.

For example, on the Fitz Traverse page, the backpack links to the Ascensionist Pack 35L page. While that page has lots of products specifications, features, benefits, a video, the sustainability story, related and similar products, and customer reviews, there isn’t a link back to the Fitz Traverse story. There’s a lot of technical information on the Ascensionist pack page, but what really makes this pack different from any number of packs you can buy from any number of other outdoor brands? Unless you’re a Patagonia devotee, there’s no clear reason why you should care about this bag over another. Where’s the emotional attachment? The Fitz Traverse story can provide that reason why you should buy the bag by creating the emotional connection between the story, the adventure, and the gear.

Filson is a heritage brand located in Seattle, Washington. Having been around for over 100 years, they know a thing or two about making things that last. And that’s a big part of their brand story – they go so far as to use “Unfailing Goods” as their tagline.

Their blog content is chock full of interesting outdoorsman stories, like this Winter Steelheading on the Olympic Peninsula post. Filson has built credibility by producing durable products over the last century, used by hunters, fishermen/women, and those who work outside (think “on the range”). Filson shares the point of view of these people, which also gives them credibility to produce stories about fishing for steelhead, duck hunting, and exploring places like Glacier National Park. These aren’t stories that all outdoor brands can produce, either because they don’t have the credibility in the hunting/fishing community, or they don’t share Filson’s point of view on these activities. Imagine a brand like Poler writing a story about hunting for Himalayan Snowcock in Nevada. It just wouldn’t make sense for Poler from a brand standpoint, in the same way that Filson wouldn’t have a blog post about skateboarding.

Similar to the Patagonia example, Filson highlights some of the products featured in their steelhead blog post, each of which links to the product page, like the Alaskan Guide Shirt. And similar to Patagonia, the Filson product page has product specifications, fit description, different colorways, related products, and customer reviews. The miss here is linking from the product page to the great inspiration content about wearing the shirt while steelhead fishing. This type of crosslinking would strengthen the perspective of Filson’s customers: I purchase Filson products because I share their point of view. It’s creating a tribe of like-minded people that Filson customers want to be associated with and want to represent. When someone is wearing a Filson product, it’s not just a durable, hardworking piece of clothing, it’s a badge of membership in the Filson club. Imagine how this powerful relationship could help convert prospective customers into purchasers if it was on the product page. We can’t assume that just because the content lives on the blog that everyone will see it – it should be in front of potential customers in the multiple places they’ll engage with the brand online.

The North Face is one of the most well known adventure brands out there. But instead of sitting back and just focusing on product information, they’ve invested in creating a storytelling platform, NeverStopExploring.com, that matches their content strategy – long format multi-post Expeditions, short format single-post stories, and athlete profiles with links to their social media profiles. Specifically, the Expeditions section allows The North Face to tell serialized stories over the course of days or weeks. The individual stories are posted as dispatches, and collected under an umbrella Expedition in an overarching narrative.

Much like Patagonia and Filson, The North Face features products used in stories, and links these to the product pages on TheNorthFace.com. This creates that link from inspiration to information. But when checking out the Ultra Kilowatt shoe, there is plenty of information about the features, benefits, and specs of the shoe, related and similar items, and product reviews, but no links back to the inspiration content. Knowing how The North Face athletes are using these products would be not only a great way to educate consumers on what the products can be used for in real life, but also create a relationship between the consumers and The North Face athletes as brand ambassadors. I follow several of their athletes like Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk on Instagram, and feel a personal connection to them (well, as much of a relationship that social media allows) from the photos they post and the adventures they go on. This in turn builds my affinity for The North Face as a brand that supports these athletes and storytellers in their expeditions. (Side note: I had the opportunity to meet Renan at a National Geographic Adventure event at Outdoor Retailer, and it was was pretty cool to meet one of the people I’ve been following from afar and then get to interact with face-to-face.)

So what can we learn from these examples?

Have a Point of View

Point of view is crucial when thinking about content strategy. Your brand’s point of view will help guide what content is appropriate and what stories aren’t a good fit. Filson’s point of view allows them to tell authentic hunting and fishing stories, something most of their competitors can’t match. Having a defining point of view means not everyone is going to agree with them, but those that do really agree with them. And it’s this shared point of view between the brand and the consumer that helps support the premium price point that Filson charges for their products (beyond their lifetime warranty, quality, etc.).

The North Face’s point of view highlights amazing multi-day/week expeditions. While many of us will never replicate these trips, we understand that if the products perform in those conditions they should be more than adequate for our own needs. Patagonia’s point of view integrates their sustainability and heritage into their storytelling. Each of these brands focuses on content that supports their point of view – no surfing stories for Filson, no hunting stories from The North Face or Patagonia.

Opportunities in e-Commerce

As shown in the three examples above, there’s a huge opportunity in integrating inspiration content into information pages. I don’t know the e-commerce systems being used by Patagonia, Filson, or The North Face. They may be limiting in what kind of content you can put on those pages. But the opportunity to build an emotional connection between a prospective consumer and a brand is being lost at these critical touchpoints – when brands are trying to convince someone to buy their product over a competitor’s similar product. While it is obviously important to think about sales funnels and getting consumers down the purchasing path, it’s just as important to create reasons for them to enter the funnel in the first place.

Do I know what this brand stands for?

Why should I care about this brand and this product?

Do I want to be associated with the “tribe” of people who purchase this brand?

What kinds of things are people using this product for, and are they similar to how I’m planning on using it (or do they create an aspirational association for what could be possible)?

Is theer value in purchasing this product from this brand over a comparable product from a comparable brand?

All of this isn’t to say that product specs, features, and benefits shouldn’t be presented on a product page. Of course this information should be on the page. And it should go without saying that no amount of inspirational content will make a bad product better, it only gives a false impression, which is even worse for a brand. The point is there is an opportunity to provide emotion in addition to the facts.

Content Creation is an Ongoing Process

When working on content-rich websites (maybe especially when working on content-rich websites!), the most underestimated task is the creation of content. It always takes longer than you expect and is more challenging than you would think. It plays a huge role in determining everything from information architecture, to user experience, to design, to functionality and content management system requirements. On top of all that, content is never done – it’s an ongoing process that must be continually supported. And that’s what content strategy is: the planning, coordination, and ongoing creation of content. That isn’t to say that your content strategy can never change. Of course it can. And this is why we never say a website is done when it launches – it will change over time, based on changing content strategy, editorial decisions, and publishing needs. But the worst thing you can do is to just stop. Be realistic on how much time and resources you have to create content. If you can’t produce serialized expedition content like The North Face, don’t build a system to do that. Be up front with your interactive partner or your internal team on what you can and can’t do, and don’t let someone convince you that you can do more than you can. This sets everyone up for failure. Start slow, try things out, and see what works. Continuous improvement. Content strategy is a long haul, challenging, ongoing process. Try different things. Do A/B testing to see what kinds of content has higher engagement or results in higher sales conversions.

All this makes it sound hard. Well, it is. To quote my wife, “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” Content strategy will create relationships between your brand and your consumers, it will add value to your products, and it will differentiate your brand. There aren’t a ton of differences between one brand’s backpack and another, so how are you going to convince people to purchase yours? Competing on price is the quickest way out of business because someone will always be willing to charge less. Convincing people to spend more on your product because they believe in your brand is the goal with content strategy. These are the stories that sell.

Many years ago, I bought a Nau Shelter Jacket (seen above from about 6 1/2 years ago, and here’s an old review). When I bought the jacket, I knew that the brand was focused on combining sustainability and performance, and it was on sale so it wasn’t that expensive. It fit great and performed well in any number of Oregon weather conditions. If trust is one of the foundations of love, then I started to love this jacket. I could rely on this jacket to look good and keep me dry. But something happened over time that surpassed the performance and fit. I had experiences in this jacket. It came with me on my 10 year anniversary to the Oregon coast (seen above, and yes, this is what you wear at the Oregon coast in July). I wore it to the pumpkin patch with the kids in October. I walked the puppy in it all spring. We made big, sweeping turns in fresh snow on Mt. Hood together. And as I had experiences in this jacket, I began to associate my experiences with the brand. So now when I wear a Nau shirt (since purchasing the Shelter Jacket, I own a total of 3 Nau jackets and 3 shirts, and my wife owns several jackets and articles of clothing from them as well), all of my associations of my jacket experiences carries my brand impression over to other products. And the new experiences I have when wearing a shirt carry over to when I wear the jacket. (Note: this is NOT a paid endorsement for Nau… I buy the stuff just like everyone else!)

Kevin Roberts, the Executive Chairman at Saatchi & Saatchi, wrote a book called Lovemarks in 2004.

“Love is about action. It’s about creating a meaningful relationship. It’s a constant process of keeping in touch, working with consumers, understanding them, spending time with them.”– Kevin Roberts, Lovemarks (p. 74)

Content strategy is one of the ways to create the relationships that Kevin is talking about. It’s a way to keep in touch and spend time with consumers. For me and my Nau jacket, I’ve created these stories myself over time. But what if we, as content creators, could share these authentic stories with people before they buy the jacket? Would knowing that I could wear the jacket snowboarding in the morning and out to a nice dinner at night convince me to buy it? Would a story about a summer trip to the Oregon coast convince me? I don’t know. Did it convince you?

Following the presentation, there were a series of questions and comments. Here are some of them, with responses.

Q: Can a “creation story” by the product designer be inspirational content?A: Inspirational content can be created from any number of sources. If the product designer has a story about why they created a jacket based on their own needs, this can certainly be inspiration content that complements information about a product’s features and benefits. Some successful Kickstarter projects do this very well.

Q: Brands need to have a publisher mindset. (More of a statement than a question from the audience.)A: Absolutely! This is a great point. Many of our clients see themselves less as marketers and more as publishers. This mindset is important from a content strategy perspective because it sets the expectations of creating an editorial calendar, making content creation resources available and a priority, and budgeting for not only the creation of content but for the continuous improvement of how to publish and distribute content.

Q: In what ways can a company promote and market content?A: Social media drives a lot of traffic to inspirational content, so posting links to stories on Facebook and Twitter is important. The publishing schedule on social media should be part of your overall editorial publishing schedule. Highlighting this content on other social media platforms like Instagram is another way to put inspirational content in front of people where they already are instead of where you hope they’ll be. Another thing to keep in mind is that not everyone will be browsing the content-specific section of your site, so think of ways to integrate this inspiration content in other places. Integrating inspiration content on product pages in an e-Commerce channel is just one way to increase visibility of this content. Another place to integrate this content could be on category landing pages, like how Patagonia features ski and snowboard content on their Ski & Snowboard Clothing page.

Q: Do you have some examples of A/B testing to see what works?A: We’ve done a combination of analytics reviews and A/B testing on several travel and tourism sites to see how people engage with different types of content. In one example, we tested several home page options – one that featured inspirational content and one that featured paths to information (restaurants, attractions, activities, etc.). We found the inspirational content version had higher engagement than the informational content, which also matched with editorial changes to the client’s content strategy. A colleague of mine told me how he had A/B tested e-Commerce conversion on product pages: one with just specs, features, and benefits; one with additional inspirational content. They found the product pages with inspirational content converted higher than the non-inspirational product pages. A/B testing is fairly easy to implement and track, so trying different things should be part of an overall content strategy to see what works and what doesn’t. You should never be afraid to try new things as long as you’re seeing how effective these changes are. Do more of the stuff that’s successful and learn from the stuff that isn’t working out.

Q: Are there reasons for putting blog content at a separate web address than a brand’s website?A: There are a few things that could determine this. Sometimes it is because of the limitations of a content management system for a brand’s website in that it doesn’t have the ability for robust storytelling. With The North Face, there were fairly complex publishing goals around the serialized content of Expeditions and the data relationships between Expeditions, Activities, Athletes, and posts, that customizing a platform like WordPress facilitated the ability to do this. And while I’m not an SEO expert, I believe there are some benefits of referral links from one website to another. That being said, the more you can keep all the inspiration and information within one platform, the more you can do in creating dynamic data relationships, which in turns helps to create better context around content. It also directs potential consumers to one branded website address which has the benefit of containing both inspirational content and the ability to purchase products. There are positives and negatives to either solution; it becomes a matter of what an existing content management system is capable of, what your content strategy and marketing goals are, and what will be the most budget-aware way to get something launched so you can try things out and measure effectiveness. Just because you launch something one way doesn’t mean you can’t change it in the future. Continuous improvement!

Q: Are there good examples of brands integrating inspiration into the product pages?A: This was a tough question. Nothing came to mind during my presentation, so I looked around a bit more. I think Poler does a good job of integrating inspiration/lifestyle photos in their product pages, like on this Napsack product page, though they have a wealth of longer form content that they’re not linking to. I looked at a number of outdoor brand websites and had a hard time finding product pages that contained inspirational content. The travel and tourism industry does a good job of combining inspiration and information, like what we’ve done with National Geographic on National Geographic Lodges. In that example, the product is the experience and the experience is the product; the “product” pages for each Lodge needs to support both the inspiration (why I should go here, what experiences I’ll have, etc.) and the information (amenities, location, etc.). If you know of good examples in the outdoor industry, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Q: Can reviews be used as inspiration content?A: Sure, reviews can definitely provide inspirational content. We looked at a potential concept of using pull quotes from reviews on product pages (though it was never implemented). This same idea could be used in the travel and tourism space to integrate user stories into information pages.

If you have more questions on the presentation above, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

If you’re interested in checking out the slides from the presentation, it is available on SlideShare (and embedded below):

About the Presenter

Stephen Landau is the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Substance. Working with clients like National Geographic, Travel Oregon, The North Face, and Pinehurst Resort, Stephen uses the idea of “brand” as a guide for both creative execution and digital implementation. The belief that brand is the way people feel about a company is paramount in the creative process where interactivity, functionality and design all work together to create a positive brand relationship.

About Substance

Substance conceptualizes, designs and builds user-centered, content driven websites for adventure brands: clients that promote, equip and enable adventure. Based in Portland, Oregon, Substance has extensive interactive experience with travel and tourism, hotel and hospitality, and outdoor brands. Clients include National Geographic, Travel Oregon, Pinehurst Resort, and the North Face. If you’re interested in having Substance present at your next event, you can email us at speaking@findsubstance.com.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands-presentation/feed/2http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands-presentation/Stories that Sell: Content Strategy for Adventure Brandshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/_IS14ReS22U/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands/#commentsThu, 15 Jan 2015 20:57:21 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10149Adventure brands have rich stories to share, but inspiration fails when it doesn’t drive people to action. Communicating the unique stories, expeditions and adventures that brands are involved with – and then driving people to act on this inspiration – is at the heart of creating a strong content strategy that supports both marketing and e-commerce. Continue Reading…

]]>We’re excited to be heading to Outdoor Retailer from January 21st – 24th. Not only is it a great time to catch up with our friends and clients in the outdoor/adventure-brand industry, but we also have the opportunity to present at one of the Outdoor University education sessions.

Adventure brands have rich stories to share, but inspiration fails when it doesn’t drive people to action. Communicating the unique stories, expeditions and adventures that brands are involved with – and then driving people to act on this inspiration – is at the heart of creating a strong content strategy that supports both marketing and e-commerce. Explore the strategy and tactics of linking these stories to action with Stephen Landau, Creative Director at Substance.

If you’re attending, we look forward to seeing you there! If not, you can follow along with the Substance crew by following us on Twitter and/or Instagram. We’ll also be posting a recap of the presentation a week or two after the event.

About Substance

Substance conceptualizes, designs and builds user-centered, content driven websites for adventure brands: clients that promote, equip and enable adventure. Based in Portland, Oregon, Substance has extensive interactive experience with travel and tourism, hotel and hospitality, and outdoor brands. Clients include National Geographic, Travel Oregon, Pinehurst Resort, and the North Face. For more information, please contact Substance by calling 503-445-0482 or emailing info@findsubstance.com.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/stories-sell-content-strategy-adventure-brands/National Geographic Society launches Unique Lodges of the World, with help from Substancehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/Vih2mdXZ_sQ/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/national-geographic-society-launches-unique-lodges-world-help-substance/#commentsThu, 08 Jan 2015 03:53:07 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=10031For most of 2014, Substance worked closely with National Geographic Travel on a unique project: helping to launch a new global business initiative for National Geographic Society. We completed an intensive interactive discovery phase, competitive analysis, user experience and information architecture, and the site concept and design. Continue Reading…

For most of 2014, Substance worked closely with National Geographic Travel on a unique project: helping to launch a new global business initiative for National Geographic Society. We completed an intensive interactive discovery phase, competitive analysis, user experience and information architecture, and the site concept and design. Working with National Geographic’s internal team and global development partners, we were able to bring the vision of the Unique Lodges of the World site to life. You can read more about the initiative from National Geographic’s press release below, and view the site at:

A stay at Fogo Island Inn (seen above) is an invitation to experience a centuries-old island culture, from its fishing and foraging traditions to its robust heritage of art, crafts, and lilting music. (Newfoundland, Canada) / Photo from National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World

WASHINGTON (Jan. 6, 2015)—The National Geographic Society today announced its newest foray in world-class travel experiences: National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, a collection of boutique hotels in extraordinary places around the world with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability, authenticity and excellence. Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, these lodges offer an outstanding guest experience while supporting the protection of cultural and natural heritage and embracing sustainable tourism practices. The initial collection — numbering 24 properties on six continents — further builds National Geographic’s travel portfolio, which includes National Geographic Expeditions, Traveler magazine, travel books, photography courses and the @NatGeoTravel digital and photography community.

As part of a comprehensive vetting process, every lodge in the collection was judged on the following criteria:

The Property— The design and character are unique and authentic, and the property provides guests with a true sense of place by celebrating the surrounding landscape and cultural heritage.

Guest Experience and Quality of Service — Guests are offered top-quality service and exceptional and inspiring experiences — from activities that enable them to engage with local people to wildlife encounters with seasoned naturalists.

Sustainable Tourism Best Practices — The property demonstrates a commitment to conservation and green operations; it actively supports the protection of cultural heritage; and it provides tangible benefits to local communities.

National Geographic deployed experts to each site to evaluate operations, meet staff at all levels, scrutinize the lodge’s impact on the local environment and community and ensure that these criteria were met.

“By creating this carefully curated group of hotels, lodges and retreats that meet internationally recognized sustainable tourism criteria while providing top-notch guest experiences, National Geographic opens a new chapter in the power of travel to protect our planet,” said Costas Christ, a world-renowned sustainable tourism expert and editor at large for National Geographic Traveler magazine, who coordinated an international team to inspect each of the lodges. “Travelers can feel confident when they stay in one of these lodges that they are helping to safeguard cultural and natural treasures in some of the world’s most incredible places.”

The Unique Lodges collection ranges from thatched bungalows nestled in the coastal jungles of Costa Rica’s pristine Osa Peninsula to luxury tented suites overlooking Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Australian Outback. Many have devised their own renewable energy solutions; all prioritize locally sourced food and provide economic and social benefits to the local community. Each lodge offers a special “National Geographic Exclusive” experience to guests who book their stay through National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World. This is a complimentary opportunity to delve further into the local culture or environment, such as a private sunset wildlife cruise at British Columbia’s Nimmo Bay Wilderness Lodge or a special research outing with the on-site scientist at The Brando in French Polynesia.

National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World charter members are:

Fogo Island Inn, Canada

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, South Africa

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Peru

Kapari Natural Resort, Greece

Kasbah du Toubkal, Morocco

Lapa Rios Eco Lodge, Costa Rica

Lizard Island, Australia

Longitude 131°, Australia

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, Canada

Pacuare Lodge, Costa Rica

Rosalie Bay Lodge, Dominica

Rubondo Island Camp, Tanzania

Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, South Africa

Sayari Camp, Tanzania

Southern Ocean Lodge, Australia

Sukau Rainforest Lodge, Malaysian Borneo

The Brando, French Polynesia

The Ranch at Rock Creek, Montana, United States

Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia

Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, Chile

Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, Chile

Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa

Zhiwa Ling Hotel, Bhutan

“The National Geographic brand is universally recognized for its commitment to exploring and protecting the planet, so we are uniquely positioned to unite and promote these exceptional properties and to set a new standard for tourism,” said Lynn Cutter, National Geographic’s executive vice president for Travel and Licensing. “These lodges share the Society’s vision of preserving the planet for future generations and they demonstrate that sustainability and a world-class guest experience can go hand-in-hand.”

To help raise the profile of these properties, National Geographic is implementing a broad promotional campaign, including advertising, digital marketing, publicity and social media. In addition, National Geographic will assemble an advisory group of charter lodge members in order to help facilitate the sharing of best practices and to provide input on direction and strategy as the program develops. Lodge owners may apply to join the collection at http://www.nglodgesapplication.com.

“We’re proud to safeguard and share the splendor of Mongolia for many generations to come,” said Jalsa Urubshurow, of Three Camel Lodge in the Gobi Desert. “As a Unique Lodge of the World, we can work with National Geographic Society to enhance our efforts and be part of the positive change we want to see in the tourism sector.”

National Geographic Unique Lodges offer travelers a full-service experience from booking to checkout. Travelers can browse all of the properties on the Unique Lodges website and make a reservation at a lodge, join a National Geographic Expedition that features a Unique Lodge or book one of National Geographic’s new Private Expeditions, offered in partnership with Virtuoso®, the leading international network of luxury-focused travel agencies and advisors.

National Geographic’s Private Expeditions is a new series of itineraries specially crafted for independent travelers and the traveling companions they choose — whether it’s two or 10 — and many include a stay at a National Geographic Unique Lodge. Guests can explore Ecuador on a private expedition that combines the colorful culture of the Altiplano with a stay at Mashpi Lodge in the heart of the Chocó rain forest. Or they can immerse themselves in Berber hospitality at the Kasbah du Toubkal in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains on a trip that also includes the mesmerizing cities of Marrakech and Fez. Travelers may also contact a reservations specialist to customize a trip.

About National Geographic Travel

National Geographic Travel is the travel arm of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, founded in 1888. National Geographic Travel creates authentic, meaningful and engaging travel experiences through National Geographic Traveler magazine; National Geographic Expeditions; National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World; travel books; maps; digital travel content; and travel photography programs. National Geographic Traveler (eight issues per year) is the world’s most widely read travel magazine and has 17 international editions. National Geographic Expeditions, the travel program of the Society, offers a variety of unique travel experiences led by top experts to more than 60 destinations across all seven continents. Travel opportunities include family and student expeditions, active adventures, private jet trips and voyages on the six expedition ships in the National Geographic-Lindblad fleet, as well as photography workshops, expeditions and seminars. The National Geographic Travel digitalgroup, shares its inspiring and authoritative digital content such as trip ideas, photo galleries, blogs and apps with its @NatGeoTravel community of 6.5 million.National Geographic Travel books bring readers curated travel advice, photography and insider tips. Follow National Geographic Travel @NatGeoTravel on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest,Instagram and Google+.

About Substance

Substance conceptualizes, designs and builds user-centered, content driven websites for adventure brands: clients that promote, equip and enable adventure. Based in Portland, Oregon, Substance has extensive interactive experience with travel and tourism, hotel and hospitality, and outdoor brands. Clients include National Geographic, Travel Oregon, Pinehurst Resort, and the North Face. For more information, please contact Substance by calling 503-445-0482 or emailing info@findsubstance.com.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/national-geographic-society-launches-unique-lodges-world-help-substance/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2015/01/national-geographic-society-launches-unique-lodges-world-help-substance/The Future of Adventure Brands Online – Outdoor Retailer panel recaphttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/eUjrdHWfnLg/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/08/future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-panel-recap/#commentsMon, 11 Aug 2014 21:37:19 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=9968On Friday, August 8th, we had the opportunity while at Outdoor Retailer to sit down for an hour with SmartWool and Nau to talk about brand, e-commerce, content, and how these things relate to the future of adventure brands online. We're expecting to upload video in the next few weeks, but in the meantime here is the presentation deck and some notes from the panel. Continue Reading…

]]>On Friday, August 8th, we had the opportunity while at Outdoor Retailer to sit down for an hour with SmartWool and Nau to talk about brand, e-commerce, content, and how these things relate to the future of adventure brands online. We’re expecting to upload video in the next few weeks, but in the meantime here is the presentation deck and some notes from the panel.

Premium brands are built by consumers establishing a premium value for products, services and experiences. How can adventure brands live up to their potential by having brand, ecommerce, marketing and social media work together? Learn how several adventure brands are navigating the complexities of creating online experiences.

Jeff Snow is currently the Digital Marketing Manager at SmartWool. With a vast array of experience from commercial photography to consumer engagement, Jeff landed at Smartwool after spending 4 years with Moosejaw Mountaineering based out of Detroit, Michigan. In his tenure at SmartWool he has helped launched programs like the Fan Field Tester Program, The #FanVanTour, and #Socktober. Through experiential storytelling he has made it a priority to connect the social experience to the path to purchase. In between slash turns and powder burns, he’s blowing up feeds as @theJsnow.

Nick is the recently hired marketing manager of Nau, a sustainable urban+outdoor apparel company in Portland, Oregon. Through 7+ years of experience with brands like Nau, KEEN and adidas, brand storytelling has been a key factor in Nick’s success across a variety of customer touch points. These successes are what drive his belief that striking a balance between brand building and revenue-driving efforts is the key to creating a lasting and meaningful company. Every moment of the customer journey is an opportunity to interact with your brand. What will you say?

(And if you’re new to Substance and our site, here’s a bit about me.)

Stephen Landau, Creative Director at Substance

Stephen is the co-founder and Creative Director of Substance, an interactive agency located in beautiful Portland, Oregon. With over sixteen years of experience concepting digital solutions for Travel Oregon, National Geographic, Pinehurst Resort, The North Face, and Nike, Stephen defines the idea of “interactive brand” as a guide for both creative execution and digital implementation. The belief that brand is the way people feel about a company is paramount in the creative process where interactivity, functionality and design all work together to create a positive brand relationship – Interaction is Brand. When not out running trails, carving tracks, and spending time with family, Stephen speaks locally and nationally on the subject of interactive brands and the ways in which adventure brands can utilize these ideas.

Moving from “Separation Mindset” to “Collaborative Mindset”

Outdoor product companies are moving from being manufacturers and wholesalers, to brands that communicate, market, and sell directly to consumers. This means the departments that used to be separate – manufacturing, sales, marketing, brand, and customer service – need to be coordinated. How do you coordinate these different departments, with different goals, towards a cohesive brand message?

Brand Strategy = Content Strategy

Brand isn’t about just a logo or a hangtag. It’s about the stories and content that you use to represent your brand. Why is a brand creating content, anyway? What is your singular “point of view”? How do you prioritize and create content and a content strategy to support a brand strategy? What does “content strategy” even mean?

Relationship Management vs. Customer Service

Social media is a marketing channel, and a sales channel, and a customer service channel… which makes it a Relationship Management channel. How can traditional perceptions and duties of customer service move to social media, and what skills are necessary to become a Relationship Manager? What does “having a relationship” between a brand and a consumer mean?

Brand Creates Community, Community Creates Brand

The way people perceive a brand creates a community (or tribe) of like-minded individuals who wear/use/support that brand. Conversely, the way a community interacts and supports a company creates a sense of the brand through their interaction. Is this a chicken-and-egg situation, or does one perpetuate the other? And how does one strengthen the other?

Experiential Sales – E-commerce as a Brand Experience

Historically, e-commerce has focused on conversion over content: how do get people from the start to the end of the purchasing funnel. But what differentiates one brand’s shopping experience from another? How do you sell the experience over selling the product/commodity? And what do you do when you don’t or can’t sell directly online? How do you create desire and brand value for a brand that has to be purchased elsewhere?

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/08/future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-panel-recap/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/08/future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-panel-recap/“Brand, E-Commerce, and Content: The Future of Adventure Brands Online” / Outdoor Retailer Summer 2014http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/2IZDVM8-ZAQ/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/07/brand-e-commerce-content-future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-summer-2014/#commentsFri, 18 Jul 2014 23:57:39 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=9926Premium brands are built by consumers establishing a premium value for products, services and experiences. How can adventure brands live up to their potential by having brand, ecommerce, marketing and social media work together? Learn how several adventure brands are navigating the complexities of creating online experiences at this Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2014 panel with Stephen Landau from Substance, along with Jeff Snow from SmartWool and Nick Lawrence from Nau. Continue Reading…

Coming back from OR, I pitched their education group an idea for a panel about the separation of e-commerce, online marketing, and brand. They accepted it, which means I’ll get to spend about an hour discussing it with attendees at OR – Summer 2014. The even better part is I’ll be joined by two people who share the same philosophy AND work at some of the outdoor/adventure brands who are doing it right: Jeff Snow from SmartWool and Nick Lawrence from Nau.

Premium brands are built by consumers establishing a premium value for products, services and experiences. How can adventure brands live up to their potential by having brand, ecommerce, marketing and social media work together? Learn how several adventure brands are navigating the complexities of creating online experiences. Learn more on Outdoor Retailer’s site.

As mentioned above, I’ll be joined by two guys who have experience in exactly what we’ll be talking about. A bit more about them…

Jeff Snow is currently the Digital Marketing Manager at SmartWool. With a vast array of experience from commercial photography to consumer engagement, Jeff landed at Smartwool after spending 4 years with Moosejaw Mountaineering based out of Detroit, Michigan. In his tenure at SmartWool he has helped launched programs like the Fan Field Tester Program, The #FanVanTour, and #Socktober. Through experiential storytelling he has made it a priority to connect the social experience to the path to purchase. In between slash turns and powder burns, he’s blowing up feeds as @theJsnow.

Nick is the recently hired marketing manager of Nau, a sustainable urban+outdoor apparel company in Portland, Oregon. Through 7+ years of experience with brands like Nau, KEEN and adidas, brand storytelling has been a key factor in Nick’s success across a variety of customer touch points. These successes are what drive his belief that striking a balance between brand building and revenue-driving efforts is the key to creating a lasting and meaningful company. Every moment of the customer journey is an opportunity to interact with your brand. What will you say?

(And if you’re new to Substance and our site, here’s a bit about me.)

Stephen Landau, Creative Director at Substance

Stephen is the co-founder and Creative Director of Substance, an interactive agency located in beautiful Portland, Oregon. With over sixteen years of experience concepting digital solutions for Travel Oregon, National Geographic, Pinehurst Resort, The North Face, and Nike, Stephen defines the idea of “interactive brand” as a guide for both creative execution and digital implementation. The belief that brand is the way people feel about a company is paramount in the creative process where interactivity, functionality and design all work together to create a positive brand relationship – Interaction is Brand. When not out running trails, carving tracks, and spending time with family, Stephen speaks locally and nationally on the subject of interactive brands and the ways in which adventure brands can utilize these ideas.

Nick, Jeff and I will be discussing a number of topics and questions about brand, e-commerce, and online marketing. What kinds of topics and questions? Glad you asked!

Moving from “Separation Mindset” to “Collaborative Mindset”

Outdoor product companies are moving from being manufacturers and wholesalers, to brands that communicate, market, and sell directly to consumers. This means the departments that used to be separate – manufacturing, sales, marketing, brand, and customer service – need to be coordinated. How do you coordinate these different departments, with different goals, towards a cohesive brand message?

Brand Strategy = Content Strategy

Brand isn’t about just a logo or a hangtag. It’s about the stories and content that you use to represent your brand. Why is a brand creating content, anyway? What is your singular “point of view”? How do you prioritize and create content and a content strategy to support a brand strategy? What does “content strategy” even mean?

Relationship Management vs. Customer Service

Social media is a marketing channel, and a sales channel, and a customer service channel… which makes it a Relationship Management channel. How can traditional perceptions and duties of customer service move to social media, and what skills are necessary to become a Relationship Manager? What does “having a relationship” between a brand and a consumer mean?

Brand Creates Community, Community Creates Brand

The way people perceive a brand creates a community (or tribe) of like-minded individuals who wear/use/support that brand. Conversely, the way a community interacts and supports a company creates a sense of the brand through their interaction. Is this a chicken-and-egg situation, or does one perpetuate the other? And how does one strengthen the other?

Experiential Sales – E-commerce as a Brand Experience

Historically, e-commerce has focused on conversion over content: how do get people from the start to the end of the purchasing funnel. But what differentiates one brand’s shopping experience from another? How do you sell the experience over selling the product/commodity? And what do you do when you don’t or can’t sell directly online? How do you create desire and brand value for a brand that has to be purchased elsewhere?

Sounds like a good time, right? If you’re planning on attending Outdoor Retailer and this sounds interesting, put it on your calendar. And if you have a question you’d like answered, leave it in the comments below (or go on Twitter and direct your questions to me – twitter.com/stlandau) and we’ll do our best to answer it during the presentation. We’ll also be walking around the floor at OR for a few days, so feel free to tap any of us on the shoulder to talk in person.

]]>http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/07/brand-e-commerce-content-future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-summer-2014/feed/0http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/07/brand-e-commerce-content-future-adventure-brands-online-outdoor-retailer-summer-2014/8 Ways Running a Half Marathon is Like Running an Interactive Agencyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingSubstance/~3/yq1aCGruo9U/
http://findsubstance.com/blog/2014/06/7-ways-running-half-marathon-like-running-interactive-agency/#commentsMon, 30 Jun 2014 17:02:10 +0000http://findsubstance.com/?p=9842As an interactive agency and small business owner, there are many events and observations that happen in my life outside work that remind me of my life at the office. Such an event happened on May 31st when I ran the Timberline half marathon. Continue Reading…

As an interactive agency owner, there are many events and observations that happen in my life outside work that remind me of my life at the office. Such an event happened on May 31st when I ran the Timberline half marathon.

I’d never run a half marathon before. In fact, I only started running about two years ago… in high school I was a swimmer, and as an adult I’ve ridden bikes and slid down mountains on a snowboard, but nothing like repeatedly putting one foot in front of the other in rapid succession. Well, sometimes rapid succession. For my first half marathon I couldn’t do a standard, 13.1 mile road run – it had to be a 14.4 mile loop around Timothy Lake, a beautiful trail east of Government Camp on Mt. Hood.

The race was challenging, exhausting, beautiful, stressful, and exhilarating – all of the same emotions we go through as business owners. So it seemed only natural to draw the parallels between running a half marathon and running an interactive agency.

ONE

Set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)

Without setting BHAGs, we aim lower, we don’t push ourselves as hard, and we accept mediocre results. Big Hairy Audacious Goals make us work harder, do better, and strive beyond our comfort zone. For me, running a half marathon was something to train for well beyond my comfort zone of running 4 – 6 miles at a time. The same goes for Substance… starting it, setting annual and long-term business goals, goals for each project… setting higher expectations means we must do better at everything we do in order to accomplish them.

TWO

Not everyone is crazy enough to do it

Not everyone has the energy, the courage, or the lack of better judgement to run a trail half marathon. Same goes for running an interactive agency. It’s not for everyone; some people are a bit too sane to go down this path. But sometimes an absence of better judgement makes you do something outside your comfort zone.

THREE

Don’t judge yourself against others

There were a lot of people participating in the half marathon. Different genders, shapes, and sizes; all sorts of shoes, clothing, and accessories. I learned when I first started running that judging another runner is wrong, and measuring yourself against other runners is wasted energy. ANYONE who has the drive and willpower to run deserves respect, not judgement. Because for many, running is simply one method to live a more active and healthy life. It could be anything – doing yoga, writing, growing your own vegetables – it’s way easier to NOT do something than to do something. When I see someone out running, I remember how painful it was when I first started. And I realize there are so many runners who can run faster and farther than me. When I was standing at the starting line for the Timberline half marathon, I knew better than to compare myself to anyone else. The exact same thing applies to running an interactive agency. I now know better than to judge our wins over another agency’s wins, or client list, or size, or interactive solutions. We are different agencies, with different goals, different numbers of employees, different methods of working, and different specialties. Which leads to Number Four…

FOUR

Compete against yourself first

There were several hundred people running the Timberline half marathon. I knew damn well I wasn’t the fastest one overall, in my gender category, or even in my age group. But I set a personal goal for what I wanted to do. Could I even complete the course? (Yes.) Could I do it in the amount of time I set for myself (2 hours – nope.) As an interactive agency, we compete all the time against other agencies: for clients, for talent, and for thought leadership. But we’re not really competing against other agencies. We’re competing against ourselves on proposing the most appropriate and attractive solution, or creating a great work environment, or taking the time to think, write, and act. Sometimes other agencies win a project over us, or have a work environment more attractive for a certain type of employee, or publish more. It’s up to us to do better than what we did before, not compared to others, but compared to ourselves. We’re our own harshest critic and hardest competition.

FIVE

Don’t panic!

At one point in the run, I tried chewing one of those Clif Bar shot bloks. When I did my training runs on pavement, it was easy to pop one in my mouth and kind of suck on it while I was running. But on the trail, I was breathing harder, focusing on the rocks and roots, and my mouth was so dry it kind of got stuck in my throat. I started to panic: what if I can’t swallow it? What if I choke? I had to calm myself down and realize it wasn’t a big deal, I could spit it out, or I could actually just stop for a second and finish chewing it. My second point of panic was when I got a cramp in my side. What if it doesn’t go away? Again, realizing that I was panicking was the key to relaxing and letting the cramp go away. My third panic point was when the trail forked and I didn’t know if I was going the right way. I could kind of make out someone in front of me, and I think someone followed me, but were we on the right path? After a minute or two, the trail met back up with the one it forked from and I realized either way I would have ended up at the same place. The same thing can happen when running an agency. Do we have enough work coming in? Do we want to work with that prospective client or maybe not? Do we have enough staff to get everything done? Is our office space too big, or too small? While not necessarily panic, they are things to worry about, and worrying about things can take your focus off of what you’re really trying to do: create great interactive solutions. So… breathe deeply, know that others have gone through the same things you’re going through, and don’t panic! You never make the best decisions or perform well when you’re panicking.

SIX

Keep your eyes on the trail, but also on what’s ahead

Running on the road, while challenging from an endurance and fitness standpoint, is fairly predictable from a terrain standpoint. It’s asphalt or concrete, and generally smooth. A trail, however, twists and turns. Roots, rocks and branches appear out of nowhere. It can pitch and yaw, send you at a breakneck pace downhill, and force you to practically be on your hands and knees climbing the steep parts. You have to constantly be checking your footing, looking several yards ahead to know where to plant your feet, and searching 10-15 yards ahead – if you can see that far – to know what’s coming next. Running an interactive agency isn’t like running on pavement (or if it is, as soon as you start daydreaming you’ll get hit by a bus.) You have to know what’s going on today, what’s coming up tomorrow, and where you’re going in the upcoming weeks/months/years. The footing is uncertain, the future is hard to see, and the unexpected can put you on our ass. Knowing what is going on today from an employee and project standpoint is crucial in setting yourself up for success tomorrow. Looking ahead a few weeks means preparing for both the expected and the unexpected. And envisioning your future creates a vision and path to follow in order to make it a reality.

SEVEN

There’s always room for improvement

Prior to two years ago, I never ran. Well, I never ran for exercise. So when I started, I started slow. I had to walk after a mile in. I had to stop and catch my breath. I could only go for a couple miles, and they were slow miles. Gradually, very gradually, I got faster. I went farther. I felt stronger. Not every day had those results – some days I felt slow, sluggish, and weak. Some days I didn’t even want to go out running. But I knew those days, the days I didn’t feel like I even wanted to lace up my shoes, those were the days that mattered the most. Those were the days I could improve, both mentally and physically. And now that I’ve done my first half marathon, I realize there’s plenty of room for improvement for the next one – how to train, what to eat, how to pace myself, how to prepare mentally…

There’s plenty of room for improvement in running an interactive agency as well. I’m constantly learning how to manage the business, projects, people, and expectations. I’m constantly improving my design abilities. I’m always working on how to explain why Substance exists, what we do, who we work with, and how we help our clients. The days I improve the most are usually the days that challenge me the most. Always do better.

EIGHT

Enjoy the ride

Running 14.4 miles isn’t all fun and games. There were points where I wanted to just stop. But as I was running along the trail and the forest opened up, revealing Timothy Lake, warmed by the sun and cooled by the mountain air, that was the point where I understood it doesn’t have to be all suffer-fest. I could enjoy the experience, not just despite but because of all its challenges, obstacles, and exertion.

Running an interactive agency isn’t all rainbows and lollipops. Some days are hard. But some days, when we launch a site, welcome a new client, invite someone to join our team, show off the amazing thinking and projects created by the people who work here, or something as minor as standing around in the kitchen on a Friday afternoon sharing beers and laughs, those are the things that remind us why we do what we do. Enjoy the ride, for all its challenges and rewards, because if it wasn’t hard it wouldn’t be worth doing. And if it wasn’t fun it wouldn’t be worth doing, either.

1. Set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)2. Not everyone is crazy enough to do it3. Don’t judge yourself against others4. Compete against yourself first5. Don’t panic!6. Keep your eyes on the trail, but also on what’s ahead7. There’s always room for improvement8. Enjoy the ride

See you next year at the Timberline half marathon. We can talk about running and interactive agencies, but preferably we’ll do it after the race, with beers in our hands and medals draped around our necks.